Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-08-06
ACTORS MEMORIES.
THE FANTASTIC TRICKS THEY PLAY
THEIR POSSESSIONS.

FNt rttN - " ''N'No '''S'
TrElR POSSESSIONS.
why Men stumble In Familiar Roles
Lines which win Not stay Learned.
Jmpro>i,ing "a Part-Jumpiug a Whole
Act
At ALWAYS seemed queer To me, said
An actor who had gray hair to give weight
10 his opinion, that somebody doesh
write a book on the psychological aspect
of life on the stage Probably the actor
has as large an opportunity Of becoming
acquainted with curious phenomena OF the
human intellect aS any man that lives
The curious freaks of SuperStitIous fahcS
that affliCt some of the best known actors
are old themes OF discussion. some THINK
they can't act If they see II horse Of Ger
tain color. or if they don't wear certain
dress. or if they play in II certain house
Some actors have played one part 81 many
times that the work has become entirely
mechanical and they forget low far along
they have got i'll the play. Under some
conditions Of mind-nOi induced by drink
either-the oldest actor is liable to mss "A
cue or cut fellow actor ont Of his lines.
no matter if he knows the play So well
that he can repeat the whole thing from
beginning 10 end ! have known even 50
careful and thorough an actor as Lawrence
Barrett. who has played Richciieu
thousands of times. | suppose. to get
thrown off the tracks in the first interview
between the cardinal and Julie. and have
/ To 90 back to his first speech TO get it right.
Not long ago heard Frederick Warde. III
expatiating on his favorite play, Damon
and Pythias. n play in which he has acted
principal or subordinate parts for hfteer
Years, utterly fail tu recall three lines from
the very passage he was wont 10 deliver
with the greatest effect from the stage.
But the most curious freak Of the
octor's memory and the one TO my mind
furtherest from any rational explanation,
is the way il will sometimes. and for nI
apparent cause. utterly refuse TO take any
impression at all | remember very well
the first experience of that kind | ever
had. / was in the company Of well
known tragedian of this city \ change
in the cast had given me the part OF Bara
das two days before 'Richelieu was to be
performed WAS fairly familiar with the
mart and thought | would have no DIM
Guilty in becoming dead letter perfect i'll it
studied all my lengths that night until
knew them pretty well. and the next day
went at them again. To my speechless
horror | discovered that all that | had
studied had escaped from my mind. Read
the lines over rs many times rs | would
and strive a. hard as would to impress
them on my mind, not one would stick.
IL ! should ever become raving maniac
would never bs a more pitiable object tfEaI
was that day. locked myself in my
room and refused to eat while went ovel
the lines to myself as Nicholas Nickleb!
went over the apothecary's lines to pool
Smike. Toward evening began TO ge
the better of them and when | went to tn,
theatre had them all pat. had regainet
great deal Of my confidence and though
should have no more trouble.
Imagine my feelings when / discov
cred, as | heard my first enc. that tn,
whole part had got away from me.
stood before that sea of upturned face:
with no idea Of what | was going to say
At last found my voice, and said some
thing-I don't know what. Such a yer
sion Of Baradas no audience ever listened
to as mine was that night. | struggled
on making mp sentences as ! went along
and trying to keep what ! said within tn
general plot of the play, Of which had ,
fairly distinct impression. | don't sup
pose what | said sounded half as bad Il
others as il did To me, for the people il
the wings told me afterward that few per
sons not familiar with the text woult
have suspected there was anything serious
the matter.
LAS soon as was off the stage mad
a rush for the dressing room, grabbed ,
play book and laboriously studied m!
next lengths until was 10 go OH again
1t was of no Use. | couldn't remember ,
worl Of my part when | got before th'
. footlights Desperation came 10 my aid
however. l plunged in boldly and go
through an Improvisation that would hav'
made Bulwer's hair stand on end, with
. out any bad breaks That night when
. was getting into bed, utterly disguste,
with myself, all those lines came back I,
ME in heap, and for weeks and week
they haunted me. They took such com
. plete possession of me that l coult
scarcely drive them ont Of my head wheI
the time came to learn another part.
That was ten years ago, and l neve
had a touch of the malady again unit
, last winter We were trying a new piec
, .on the dog in Providence. We had ha'
1t in rehearsal for some time and l sup
posed knew all my part and business a
well as | knew my own name. i was tn
villain, and in the fourth act was to quar-
rel with and stab my accomplice in crime
for which | WAS to be sentenced to dealt
after confessing all my yillainy. In III
pSN6 act had scene with the hero jus
= before the quarrel, and I'm blessed if
didn't forget lines, business and every
, thing else Jumping away down to tn
end of the act, killed the hero. Tn
author of the play. who was sitting in
box, must have been paralyzed at tn
liberty took with his text, and the au
dience must have thought it very strang
that the hero should come to life SO readil
in the next act, and that should be sen
fenced to death for merely trying TO xii
him. But the dog lived, and got OF
with a scorching from the manager. ~
New York Commercial Advertiser.